The Independent Film Festival of Boston gets under way this week, and as I’ve mentioned in my past coverage, it’s probably my favorite film-related event of the year. Given that I’m moving out to Seattle within two weeks, this’ll probably be my last IFFB for awhile, but it looks like it will not disappoint. After the jump, find the five movies that I’m really looking forward to this year, and feel free to share your own in the comments.Read More »

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The Independent Film Festival of Boston kicked off its ninth annual year last night, and the results were spectacular. The opening night film was Constance Marks’ Sundance Jury Prize winner, Being Elmo, and the crowd loved it (see my video review of the film with Peter Sciretta from Sundance this year). But the real treat was the Q&A afterwards. Marks and Kevin Clash, the subject of the film and the puppeteer behind Elmo, took to the stage to answer audience questions for nearly an hour (oftentimes in character, as Elmo). It’s safe to say it was the longest post-film Q&A I’ve ever witnessed at a festival. It’s also safe to say it was the most awesome.

Hit the jump for a few images from the evening, as well as my video interview with the makers of the film.Read More »

Lots of cool film-related stuff happens in Boston, Massachusetts and not that many people are here to document it, preserve it and spread the word about it. Special screenings, Q&As, panel discussions — we have them all, and frequently too. /Film Boston aims to be a bi-weekly column that will bring you audio and video content from film-related events around the Boston area. If you don’t live in Boston, I hope that this column will give you a window into some of the cool stuff that happens here regularly. If you do live here, hopefully you’ll come here to get the heads-up on what’s been going on, and what is to come.

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend the Independent Film Festival of Boston. The closing night film for the festival was supposed to be James Franco’s Saturday Night, but it was replaced at the last second and instead we were shown Jean Pierre Jeunet’s latest film, Micmacs. Hit the jump for some of my thoughts on that movie, and for some closing thoughts on the festival. Throughout this post, I have interspersed audioblogs from interviews I conducted during the festival. First, actor John Hawkes speaks with me about his role in Debra Granik’s film festival sensation, Winter’s Bone. Then, I speak with Bryan Poyser, who directed Lovers of Hate, about getting into Sundance and IFFBoston, and the state of the indie film scene. Finally, a chat with Adam Roffman and Nancy Campbell, the organizers of the Independent Film Festival of Boston.

One of my favorite films coming out of Sundance was the Duplass brothers’ Cyrus (the film also screened recently at SXSW and IFFBoston). Turns out Fox Searchlight can’t wait for you guys to see it too. Cyrus will now be opening in select cities three weeks earlier on June 18th, 2010, instead of its original release date in July. Other films also opening that day: Jonah Hex and Toy Story 3. Seems like Cyrus will make for some good counter-programming.

At one point or another, we’ve probably all thought about the possibility of owning an exotic pet. How awesome would it be to terrorize your enemies with a 20-foot boa constrictor, or have a lion ready to back you up when a thief breaks in in the middle of the night?

For most of us, those thoughts remain simply thoughts. But for thousands of Americans around the country, exotic pets are a frightening reality. Director Michael Webber’s film, The Elephant in the Living Room, explores the implications of exotic pet ownership through the eyes of the man that pet owners call when things go wrong. It recently screened at the Independent Film Festival of Boston. Hit the jump for my thoughts on his film, and my interview with Webber.Read More »

Can a parking lot serve as a metaphor for America? Can it contain both our noblest of intentions and our basest of instincts? Can it teach us lessons about the nature of mankind, and about the joys and tribulations of work?

Director Meghan Eckman’s first film, a documentary entitled The Parking Lot Movie, answers these questions with a resounding “Yes!” The Parking Lot Movie recently screened at the Independent Film Festival of Boston. Hit the jump to read some of my thoughts on the movie, and to see my chat with Eckman about the profundity of parking lots, and how she kept herself from losing her mind while devoting three years of her life to interviewing parking lot attendants.Read More »

Most of you probably know Amber Benson as Tara Maclay from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but in recent years, while Benson has continued to rack up acting gigs, she’s also parlayed her clout into a thriving indie film career. Her newest film, Drones, premiered at Slamdance and is currently making the film festival circuit. It recently screened at the Independent Film Festival of Boston.

I had a chance to sit chat briefly with Benson on the morning before her film screened. We spoke about her love for directing, the importance of planning when you’re making an indie film, and what it’s like to be a female director in a man’s world. Apologies for the terrible lighting conditions of this interview, and for the fact that there is loud coffee-making going on in the background; Benson was a real sport for sticking through it!Read More »

I love Documentary Shorts programs because they’re fascinating little slices of life from around the world that I’d never otherwise be privy to (plus, the films are so short that if you don’t like one, all you need to do is wait 15 minutes for it to be over). Last night, I saw IFFBoston’sShorts 2: Docs package. We usually don’t write about short films here at /Film, but I thought that Keep Dancingand The Poodle Trainer were so great, I just had to throw out a quick word about them. After the jump, trailers for the films and my brief thoughts.Read More »